MacDill Happenings

AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE
Florida law requires that all automobile operators have No-Fault Insurance. Under No-Fault Insurance, one’s insurance company pays for treatment of any personal injuries received as a result of an auto accident, no matter who is at fault. Proof of this insurance must be shown to obtain automobile tags.  Non-residents - such as tourists, students and military personnel - who have a car in Florida for more than 90 days during a year are required to have No-Fault Insurance. (The 90 days do not have to be consecutive.) For more information on the state’s insurance laws, call 1-800-342-2762.

AUTOMOBILE TAGS
Within 30 days of moving to Florida, one must obtain a Florida license plate if one:
• Is employed here.
• Has children who attend school in the state.
• Claims a homestead exemption.
• Registers to vote.
To get your license plate, a vehicle registration, proof of insurance and automobile title must be taken to any tag office. For more information, contact the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office at 635-5200.  One of the best places to get a license plate is at the downtown office at County Center.  I’ve been there numerous times at different times of the day and it is always empty.

DRIVERS’ LICENSES
If one becomes a resident of Florida, is employed here, or enrolls children in area public schools, one must have a valid Florida driver’s license within 30 days. The license is good for 6 years and is renewable by the driver’s birth date. If one possesses a valid license from another state, only a sight test is required. For more information or to make an appointment, call 740-7534.  The Dept of Motor Vehicles offices are always crowded.  The best thing to do is call and make an appointment or make an appointment online.

RESIDENCY
Simply moving to Florida does not make one a legal resident. One must register to vote or file a Declaration of Domicile with the circuit court. For more information, contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court at 276-8100, ext. 7844.

TAXES
There is a 7% sales tax in Hillsborough County. Florida has no state personal income tax. The state offers a Homestead Exemption to Florida residents who own and occupy a home as of January 1 of any given year. The exemption is $25,000 off the assessed valuation of one’s home. The homeowner must file for the exemption with the County Property Appraiser’s Office between January 1 and March 1 for the first time. The exemption will renew automatically on an annual basis. The county will send the renewal by mail. No action is required on the homeowner’s part. For more information, call 635-5200.

VOTER INFORMATION
One must be at least 18 years old (with proof of age) and be a permanent resident of the State of Florida to register to vote. Registration must be at least 30 days prior to an election in order to vote in that election. For more information, call the Supervisor of Elections at 272-5850.

One of the great things about MacDill AFB is the recreational activities that are available to the military community.  The MacDill AFB MWR and AAFES has provided great support to the military community.  No matter how far away you live from MacDill, it can be worth the drive to use the facilities offered on the base.  From the Fitness Center to the MacDill Lanes bowling alley to the marina where you can rent boats to the golf course to the movie theater, there is something available for everyone.  This Friday at 7pm at the MacDill AFB theater First Sunday is playing.  First Sunday is about  a pair of criminals who take a group of church parishioners hostage while attempting to rob the holy house, only to find their captives slowly convincing them to repent and give up their lawless lifestyles. Rated PG-13 (language, sexual humor, drug references) and 89  min long it stars Ice Cube.  Before the movie you can grab some dinner at Seascapes Beach Club.  Playing on Saturday at 7pm is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street . This is about a grisly revenge by Benjamin Barker, a man unjustly imprisoned by a lecherous judge. Barker returns as barber Sweeney Todd and exacts revenge. Rated R (graphic bloody violence) and 117 min long it stars Johnny Depp.  The price is $3.25 for all ages.  This price can make the drive worthwhile when compared to prices of movies theaters in Tampa.  Plus, a medium popcorn and drink is only $4!

If you are going to live in Hillsborough County and intend to send your children to a public school, then they will attend a Hillsborough County School District run school.  Hillsborough County School District encompasses all of Hillsborough County.  In the Hillsborough County School District there are 209 schools grades K-12 ( 136 Elem., 42 Mid., 2 K-8, 25 High and 4 Career Centers) and 60 additional centers (Charter, Early Child, ESE, etc).  They offer education for students with Early Childhood through Adult  and have a Schools of Choice (charter and magnet) program.  Tinker Elementry School (K-5) on MacDill AFB belongs to the  Hillsborough Country School District.  If you work on MacDill AFB, you can have your child attend Tinker.  The Student Handbook will provide all the information that a new family would need to know about the School District as well as phone numbers in case you have any questions.  Incoming students may require immunizations and will require previous school transcripts.  You can determine your child’s school location by putting in your new address.  The starting date for all schools for the 2008-2009 school year is 18 Aug 08.  For 2008, Tampa Bay Tech was named of the top 500 high schools in the United States by the U.S News and World Report.   Hillsborough County Public Schools was the number one school district in the state of Florida in 2007 for the total participation numbers in the Duke University Talent Identification Program for both the 4th/5th grade and 7th grade Talent Searches.

The area around MacDill AFB is collectively known as South Tampa.  Geographically,
South Tampa is a small peninsula about 11 miles long and about 5 miles wide.  South
Tampa is defined as all the land south of Kennedy Ave.  The main road that runs right
down the middle of South Tampa is Dale Mabry Ave. Dale Mabry is a vibrant avenue
lined with plenty of stores, churches and schools. Housing in neighborhoods in South
Tampa run the gamut from exclusive million dollar homes to the affordable homes. 
There are plenty of detached single family homes and condominiums and townhouses for sale. If you work on MacDill AFB, living in the South Tampa area makes great economic sense because of the price of gas and plus you’ll save a lot of commuting time!  The SouthTampa area has everything a family or couple could want with all the shopping, schools, parks, recreational activities, and dining in the area or nearby. A beautiful landmark in South Tampa is Bayshore Blvd.  This 6 mile plus single stretch of sidewalk is billed as the longest continuous sidewalk in the United States.  Bayshore Blvd is lined with million dollars homes on one side and Hillsborough Bay on the other side.  You can always see runners, walkers and bicyclists enjoying Bayshore especially during the evening.  

One of the best kept secrets in Tampa is the great musical performances available at USF.  For those Jazz aficionados, stop in at the Music Recital Hall for another session of the Monday Night Jazz performances.  Join acclaimed saxophonist Tim Armacost from 8pm to 10pm.  Ticket cost are very reasonable priced from $6 for students and seniors and $12 general admission.

On Sunday 24 Feb, the Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival starts at 11am.  Taste Gulf Coast cuisine including shrimp, crab cakes, oysters, crawfish, and gumbo.  Perfomers include Derek Trucks Band, Coco Montoya, Bettye LaVette and more.  Free admission with vendors offering food at reasonable prices.  The Festival takes place at Coachman Park, 301 Drew St., Clearwater.  For more info call (727) 562-4839.

Go back to the Middle Ages at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival where history comes alive!  Every weekend from 23 Feb until 6 Apr, the Renaissance Festival will be open at MOSI.  It will be open from 10am to 6pm.  See the unique gifts for sales or try the delicious gourmet treats!  There are eight stages and street theater featuring jugglers, magicians, fire eaters and specialty acts to entertain you.   Watch the twice daily jousting matches or listen to the minstrels,  or see the fair maidens, peasants, fools, and Royalty.  Each weekend there will be a special theme.  You can buy tickets online for $5.95 for childrena and $13.95 for adults plus a small fee.

Enjoy the outdoors and check out the 19th Annual Art Festival at Hyde Park Village this weekend.  The festival takes place from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.  There will be over 150 artists displaying their work.  The artwork will be displayed at the corner of Swann and Rome Aves.  Plus don’t forget about the shopping and unique restaurants at Hyde Park Village!   Parking is free of charge in the 3 covered parking garages.

On Friday 22 Feb at 7pm, The Great Debaters starring Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker will be playing.  The film, based on a true story, revolves around the efforts of debate coach Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington) at historically black Wiley College to place his team on equal footing with whites in the American south during the 1930s. The Wiley team eventually succeeds to the point at which they are able to take part in a debate with Harvard University.  On Sat 23 Feb at 3pm and again at 7pm, The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: A Veggie Tales will be playing.  It is a great funny family movie rated G.  Admission is only $3.25. Don’t forget a medium soft drink and popcorn only costs $4!

Get ready for Micheal Buble at the St Pete Times Forum this Friday at 8pm. Tickets costs are from $52.75 to $87.25. If you can’t get the ticket you want, there are usually plenty of scalpers outside the Forum that you get tickets from.  As the event starts, the price for tickets they sell drops.  If you want to have dinner near the Forum, then there are plenty of great places to eat at Channelside as well as two great bar & grills right across the street from the Forum including Andreychuk’s Grille.